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Digital Press Kit 2013

Jan

Safe Medication Lists on the Internet

First released: January 30, 2013

More than 90 percent of women use at least one medicine during pregnancy. To learn about taking medicine during pregnancy, about half of women ages 18 to 44 years old look for health information on the internet. A new study shows that while many internet websites post lists of medicines that are safe to take during pregnancy, for many of the medicines listed, there is not enough known to determine their safety or risk for use during pregnancy.

STOP Polio: Coming Together to End Polio Once and For All

First released: January 24, 2013

The global effort to eradicate polio is one of the largest public health initiatives in history. Many countries affected by polio have a shortage of skilled public health staff available to fully support eradication efforts. The Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) program, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and co-sponsored by Rotary International, World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, helps address this shortage by training and deploying skilled public health professionals who volunteer to support in-country immunization programs. Working as WHO or UNICEF consultants, these volunteers work closely with host country ministries of health, WHO, UNICEF, and local communities.

13 in 2013: CDC Looks Ahead

First released: January 17, 2013

As America’s health protection agency, CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting people from health threats, and saving money through prevention. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC is there for you.

CDC Vital Signs: Binge Drinking among Women and High School Girls

First released: January 8, 2013

Binge drinking is a dangerous behavior but is not widely recognized as a women’s health problem. CDC’s latest Vital Signs report shows that nearly 14 million U.S. women binge drink about three times a month, and consume an average of six drinks per binge. Binge drinking is defined as consuming four or more drinks on an occasion for women and girls.

January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month

First released: January 7, 2013

Every 4 ½ minutes, a baby is born with a major birth defect in the United States. They are a leading cause of death among U.S. infants, accounting for about 20% of mortality in the first year of life. In addition, babies born with birth defects have a greater chance of illness and long term disability than babies without birth defects. January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month, a time to focus on raising awareness about the frequency with which birth defects occur in the United States and of the steps that can be taken to prevent them.

Feb

Salmonella is not just from contaminated food—it can come from animals, too. Many Salmonella infections occur in people who have contact with certain types of animals. In 2012 there were two records involving outbreaks of human Salmonella infections linked to live poultry:

Eight outbreaks were reported which was more than any year in history and these outbreaks resulted in more than 450 illnesses –and-

The largest outbreak of human Salmonella infections linked to backyard flocks in a single year occurred.

New CDC Vital Signs: Smoking among those with Mental Illness

First released: February 5, 2013

Adults with some form of mental illness have a smoking rate 70 percent higher than adults with no mental illness, according to a Vital Signs report. Combined data from SAMHSA’s 2009–2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) were used to calculate national and state estimates of cigarette smoking among adults aged 18 years and older who reported having any mental illness.

Mar

Tips From Former Smokers Ad Campaign 2013

First released: March 28, 2013

Continuing with the success of last year’s national tobacco education ad campaign, "Tips from Former Smokers," a second series of ads was launched today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The ads feature compelling stories of former smokers living with smoking-related diseases and disabilities.

World TB Day: New U.S. Data for 2012

First released: March 21, 2013

In advance of World TB Day, CDC has released preliminary national TB surveillance data for 2012. The new data show that after 20 consecutive years of declines, TB is at an all-time low in the United States.

Drug-resistant germs called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, are on the rise and have become more resistant to last-resort antibiotics during the past decade, according to a new CDC Vital Signs report. These bacteria are causing more hospitalized patients to get infections that, in some cases, are impossible to treat.

Apr

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today kicked off its 62nd Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference in Atlanta, beginning a week-long conference dedicated to showcasing the life-saving work of its current EIS officers, or “disease detectives,” and welcoming the incoming class of officers to the two-year postgraduate EIS program.

New Food Safety Data for 2012

First released: April 18, 2013

Each year, roughly 1 in 6 people in the US gets sick from eating contaminated food. To understand trends in what germs are making people sick, CDC analyzes data from FoodNet, a surveillance system in 10 sites covering about 15 percent of the U.S. population. By targeting the germs that are making people sick with regulations and changes in industry practices, the country’s food supply can be made safer for everyone.

Remembering SARS: 10 Years Later

First released: April 12, 2013

In the 2003 global disease outbreak, what became known as SARS started as a mystery illness—without name, origin, or cure. Public health scientists across the globe scrambled to understand and contain this health threat.

May

A new study on antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospitals shows that using germ-killing soap and ointment on all intensive-care unit (ICU) patients can reduce bloodstream infections by up to 44 percent and significantly reduce the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Patients who have MRSA present on their bodies are at increased risk of developing a MRSA infection and can spread the germ to other patients.

Make a Splash!

First released: May 23, 2013

As schools let out and summer approaches, it is important for us to remember to stay healthy and safe under the sun and in the water. Skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer in the United States, and melanoma is the most deadly kind of skin cancer. Just a few serious sunburns at any age can increase a person’s risk of skin cancer. We all share the water we swim in, and each of us needs to do our part to help keep ourselves, our families, and our friends healthy while swimming.

CDC issues first comprehensive report on children’s mental health in the United States

First released: May 16, 2013

The MMWR Weekly Report Supplement titled, “Mental Health Surveillance Among Children in the United States - 2005-2011,” describes estimates of the number of children aged 3-17 years living in the United States with specific mental disorders, using information from different data sources collected in 2005-2011.

New CDC Vital Signs: Hepatitis C Testing

First released: May 07, 2013

A new multi-area study suggests that only half of those identified as ever having had hepatitis C received complete testing for the virus.

CDC recommends that everyone in the U.S. born from 1945 through 1965 be tested for hepatitis C in order to increase the proportion of those who know they are infected and linked to care. CDC also recommends that other populations at increased risk for hepatitis C get tested.

Jun

HPV Vaccination

First released: June 20, 2013

Genital human papillomavirus (also called HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Most infected persons do not realize they are infected, or that they are passing HPV on to a sex partner. Luckily, there isa vaccine to prevent and be protected against HPV.

Extreme Heat: Stay cool, hydrated and informed this summer

First released: June 6, 2013

A new study shows that heat-related deaths are on the rise. In a 2-week period in 2012, excessive heat exposure resulted in 32 deaths in 4 states, four times the typical average for those states for the same 2-week period from 1999-2009.

Sometimes foods we love and count on for good health are contaminated with germs that cause serious illness and can be deadly for certain people. Listeria, while rare, is one of the most deadly germs spread by contaminated food.

Jul

Flow Restrictors May Help Prevent Medication Poisonings in Young Children

First released: July 22, 2013

Each year, half a million calls are made to poison centers for medication overdoses in young children and the number of emergency department (ED) visits due to children getting into medicines is rising, with more than 60,000 young children brought to an ED every year because they got into medicines while an adult wasn’t looking.

New CDC Vital Signs: Prescription Painkiller Epidemic Among Women

First released: July 2, 2013

Women are dying from prescription painkiller overdoses at rates never seen before, according to a new CDC Vital Signs. While men are more likely to die of a prescription painkiller overdose, the percentage increase in deaths since 1999 was greater among women (400 percent in women compared to 265 percent in men).

Aug

Head back to school safer and healthier this year!

First released: August 13, 2013

Heading back to school is an exciting time of year for students and families. As students go back to school, it is important that they eat healthy and stay active, are up to date on their immunizations, and know the signs of bullying for a healthier and safer school year.

New CDC Vital Signs: Obesity Declines Among Low-Income Preschoolers

First released: August 6, 2013

Nineteen states and territories reported decreases in obesity among low-income preschoolers. Twenty states and Puerto Rico held steady at their current rate, and obesity increased slightly in three states.

Sep

Untreatable: Today’s Drug-Resistant Health Threats

First released: September 16, 2013

Every year, more than two million people in the United States get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die as a result, according to a new report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

20 Years of Success

First released: September 12, 2013

This year marks the 20th Anniversary of passage of the legislation that created the Vaccines for Children Program (VFC), one of our nation’s most successful public-private partnerships for improving public health.

Tips From Former Smokers campaign results

First released: September 9, 2013

An estimated 1.6 million smokers attempted to quit smoking because of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Tips From Former Smokers” national ad campaign, according to a study released by the CDC.

More than 200,000 preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke occurred in the United States in 2010, according to a new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of these deaths happened to people younger than 65 years of age, and the overall rate of preventable deaths from heart disease and stroke went down nearly 30 percent between 2001 and 2010, with the declines varying by age.

Nov

ADHD Estimates Rise

First released: November 22, 2013

Two million more children in the United States have been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and one million more U.S. children were taking medication for ADHD over an 8 year period (2003-2004 to 2011-2012), according to a new study [1.81 MB] led by CDC.

Get Smart About Antibiotics Week 2013

First released: November 19, 2013

Infections caused by resistant bacteria have become more common, and many bacteria have become resistant to multiple antibiotics. CDC released a report in September 2013 documenting that each year more than two million people in the United States get infections that are resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die as a result.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer among men and women in the United States, after lung cancer. About 1 in 3 adults is not getting screened for colorectal cancer as recommended by the U.S. Preventive services Task Force (USPSTF), according to a new Vital Signs report: Colorectal Cancer Screening Test Use - 2012, released today.

Dec

Our Nation’s Health by the Numbers: 2013

First released: December 23, 2013

As the year comes to a close, America’s health protection agency, CDC, looks back at our nation’s health by the numbers. With dramatic breakthroughs in science and technology, 2013 has been a successful year in public health.

Five Top Achievements this year, Five Health Threats in 2014

First released: December 16, 2013

As the year comes to a close, CDC, America's health protection agency, looks back at top five health concerns in 2013 and previews the five health threats that loom for 2014. Of course, CDC's most important achievements in 2013 are the outbreaks that didn't happen, the diseases that were stopped before they crossed our borders, and the lives not lost to preventable chronic diseases and injuries. These cannot be counted.

Measles Still Threatens Health Security

First released: December 5, 2013

Fifty years after the approval of an extremely effective vaccine, measles, one of the world’s most contagious diseases, still poses a threat to domestic and global health security. An interconnected world is increasing the opportunities for human, animal and zoonotic diseases to emerge and spread globally.